PLANS for a £250,000 upgrade of Wiveliscombe’s outdoor community swimming pool have been changed to make its new pavilion a better fit for the historic area.

Work started in October after Wivey Pool received planning permission last summer to build a new pavilion to provide a warm area for swimmers and spectators.

The building includes accessible toilets which would be available also for anybody using the neighbouring war memorial recreation ground.

The plans featured a roof terrace, accessible from the poolside, for spectators to relax and enjoy views of the pool.

Now, the terrace feature has been dropped and the new pavilion will be only single-storey, with its height reduced from 21 to 16 feet.

Planning agent Rebecca Randall, of Polden Planning, said the change did not impact the acceptability of the principle of the development which had been approved.

Somerset Council planning officer Denise Todd said the pool was in a conservation area and the recreation ground contained a number of grade two listed structures, while the pool was considered a non-designated heritage asset.

Ms Todd said the principle of replacing old wooden sheds on the site with a modern pavilion had already been accepted and the reduction in height of the building was welcome and would make it less visually intrusive.

Wivey Pool, which will celebrate its centenary next year, is a registered charity run by volunteers who depend heavily on grants and community fund-raising to maintain and improve the facilities while keeping entry fees affordable.

The refresh project was commissioned to make the swimming pool ‘fit for the future’ and able to operate for another 100 years.

Contractors Benjamin Henry Ltd, of Taunton, have now been on site for 14 weeks and aim to have the project completed by April, in time for the start of the new swimming season.